26 June 2013 12:23 PM

The British Museum is the country's most popular cultural attraction for the sixth year in a row thanks to blockbusting exhibitions which have helped attract record numbers of visitors.

A total of 1.7million people have visited since the start of April, an increase of 25 per cent when compared to the same time last year, and visits in May alone were up 42 per cent compared to 2012, making it the month with the highest number of visitors on record.

The museum's surge in popularity has been greatly helped by two huge exhibitions, which have performed much better than expected. Ice Age, which ended in early June, received 90,000 visitors, a 133 per cent in crease on the original target of 40.000.

The current blockbuster, Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum, acieved its overall visitor target of 250,000 in the first three months of its six-month run.

The report also highlighted that younger generations are making the most of the London attraction, with 43 per cent of visitors aged between 16 and 34.

The Pompeii exhbition is on track to become the museum's third-most popular paid entry exhibition in history, following the Treasures of Tutankhamun in 1972 and The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army in 2007.

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25 June 2013 4:42 PM

It is one of the most famous speeches in history and changed the fate of African Americans in the United States forever.

So it is no surprise that thousands of travellers are expected to congregate in Washington to mark 50 years since Martin Luther King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and declared 'I have a dream'.

The city, where 25,000 Civil Rights supporters gathered to hear the great orator speak on August 28, 1963, will host a series of special events to honour King this summer.On the day itself, members of the public can join marches around the
capital to commemorate both the speech and The Great March on Washington, one
of the largest rallies in the history of the United States which called
for civil and economic rights for African Americans.

A new exhibition featuring photos, paintings and memorabilia and entitled One Life: Martin Luther King Jr will also open at the National Portrait Gallery this week and run for a full year to commemorate the speech and King’s incredible legacy.

There are also two trails through Washington DC which help travellers explore the life of the Civil Rights and anti-war campaigner, a one-day Major Civil Rights Sites trail which visits locations such as the Lincoln Memorial and the African American Civil War Memorial, or DC’s five-day-long Civil War to Civil Rights trail which takes a more detailed look at the African American equality movement, visiting additional sites including the imposing Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and the National Archives.

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21 June 2013 10:23 AM

Anyone who's recently tried to build a sandcastle, don't look now. Three huge, perfectly sculptured sandcastles in the shape of Warwick Castle, Buckingham Palace and Glendragon Castle - home of Mike the Knight - have been built to welcome the star of the popular CBeebies series to Warwick Castle for the summer.

While Mike normally resides with his mother Queen Martha at Glendragon Castle, he will be visiting the medieval fort during the summer holidays to host two "Be a Knight, Do it Right" weekends to train young volunteer knights.

As part of their training, they will be able to try archery at Mike’s Target Test, jump on Mike’s trusty steed at Galahad’s Gallop,
set off on an adventure of discovery with Sparkie and Squirt in the
Dragon Egg Hunt, and cast a spell at Evie’s Wizard Workshop.

To make Mike feel truly at home, professional sand sculptor Raymond Wirick was brought in to create versions of the character's own castle and the two other important historical buildings, which will all be on display at Warwick throughout the the summer.

The sandcastles will be accompanied by a sandpit where children will be able to try and build Britain’s Ultimate Sandcastle. The winner of the competition will receive a plethora of Mike the Knight gifts and a Warwick Castle annual pass.

Mike the Knight will be visiting the castle on June 29-30 and July 6-7 and adult tickets are available from £17.10, children aged four to 11 years pay £11.70.

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19 June 2013 1:52 PM

It is known as the capital's top food festival and for the first time ever Taste of London - which takes place this weekend - will be serving up culinary creations from a cruise liner.

The event is normally home to chefs from the UK's top restaurants, offering taster dishes at affordable prices.

But this year, Celebrity Cruises will also attending, to treat visitors to unusual dishes from its signature restaurant Qsine, such as its famous sushi lollipop. It will also be taking the opportunity to whet visitors' appetities for a holiday on the high seas with sommelier-led wine tasting sessions.

It is the first time a cruise ship has been involved in the event and Celebrity hopes it will show London foodies that cruise dishes are more about quality than quantity - a common misconception among non-cruisers.

Experts will be on hand to talk about Celebrity's Mediterranean vineyard cruises, which are hosted by Oz Clarke, as well as showing sample menus and serving up sample dishes.

Plus, there will be plenty of chances to win trips, with the most coveted prize a cruise on one of Oz Clarke's itineraries.

Jo Rzymowska, associate vice president and general manager of Celebrity Cruises, said: "Anyone attending the show in London will enjoy wine tasting, food
samples and a taste of the great fun available on-board our
award-winning ships with some incredibly visual and interactive
expert-led sessions on stand."

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16 June 2013 12:12 PM

For anyone interested in Everest - especially as we celebrate the 60th
anniversary of its first successful ascent by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
- this fabulous book, published in association
with the Royal Geographical Society, is something to buy and
treasure.

Boasting 400 unique photographs, Everest (Ammonite, £40) takes
the reader from base camp to the snow-clad slopes and ridges and the peak
itself.

It has the largest collection of images ever published together
in a book about the 1953 expedition, and
represents the most complete catalogue of images on the subject in the English
language. It's the nearest most of us will come to tackling the world's highest
mountain.

To order your copy at £36 with free p&p, call the Mail Book Shop on 0844 472 4157 or go to mailbookshop.co.uk.

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13 June 2013 3:18 PM

Father's Day is just around the corner and if this year you feel he deserves more than the usual novelty tie and socks, perhaps it's worth splashing out?

If he's a whisky fan, he'll love the chance to create his own blend of that golden nectar, especially as it involves a trip to China to visit Johnnie Walker House in Beijing - the self-proclaimed "world's largest embassy for luxury Scotch whisky".

The only setback? With a price tage of a whopping £120,000, you may need a swig or two from your father's carefully-crafted bottle of whisky to be able to pay the bill.

The offering comes from online spirits retailer Alexander & James (alexanderandjames.com) and promises a completely personalised one-week trip. Your dad will travel first class, stay in the best hotels and visit Beijing, Shanghai and Xian. He'll be able to explore the Great Wall
of China, see the Terracotta Army, visit one of the world's finest cigar bars in Xian and round off the trip at the original Johnnie Walker House in Shanghai.

Of course the highlight for whisky-loving dads is the chance to venture behind the scenes at Johnnie Walker in Beijing to some of the world's rarest whisky vaults and work with a Master Blender to create their own bespoke spirit - right down to the blend and style of decanter.

Johnnie Walker master blender Jim Beveridge said: "This gift is symbolic in so many ways. It’s wonderful to think of another family passing their private whisky blend through the generations, much as the Walkers have done."

It certainly beats yet more golf paraphernalia. But you just might need to be a descendant of Johnnie Walker himself to be able to afford it...

04 June 2013 6:48 PM

The days of visiting a high street travel agent to flick through the latest holiday brochures are becoming a thing of the past but Virgin Holidays is hoping to lure us back to its stores by launching 'holiday laboratories', complete with sand, grass and seaside smells.

The first branch of the paperless stores opened last weekend at the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent and aims to get people in the mood for a trip abroad by "immersing the customer in a holiday environment".

The multi-sensory room features textured grass flooring and "water which ripples as you walk on it".

The shop also features a mini putting green and beach and its lighting gradually changes throughout the day, from bright sunshine to "sundowner cocktail hour".

They'll even be pumping seaside aromas into the store to evoke the feeling of being on holiday.

The branch is the company’s first 'paperless' shop so there isn't a brochure in sight.

Instead 'technicians' encourage customers to research their next trip via interactive tablets and videos on giant screens. They can take away any information they have gathered in digital form or have it emailed to them.

There's also a 'green screen' area where visitors can have photos taken against a backdrop of their chosen location.

The second 'laboratory' will open at the Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield this weekend.

Virgin Holidays Customer and Sales Director, Mark Anderson said: "Our 'holiday laboratories' have been designed with one purpose - to harness the latest technology and the increasingly powerful influence of social media to create something really different on the high street.

"As our retail network has grown, we've increasingly seen the need to put 'play' at the heart of the buying experience and these two stores are the logical conclusion of that process."